Stephen Kenny Post Motherwell

You can't deny the fact to lose at home, it is a bad defeat

Dunfermline Manager Stephen Kenny spoke after the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Motherwell:-

"The last couple of games we kept clean sheets against St Mirren and Inverness but we have lacked creativity in the final third and not created enough chances. Today I felt in the first half hour we created three or four great chances; we hit the bar and had one cleared off the line.

"It looked inevitable that we might score but as you know in the League and League Cup Dunfermline have never taken the lead in a game. When Motherwell took the lead with their first attack it was a kick in the teeth for us, to say the least. You have to accept the good with the bad but you have to come back from that. You can't make excuses. Faced with being 1-0 down you have to try and retrieve the situation.

"We had a couple of great chances at the start of the second half and when Mark (Burchill) was through I thought it was in. Scott Muirhead had a great chance too."

Asked if he was concerned with the lack of goals, Stephen Kenny replied:-

"Yes, not just at the minute but over a period of time. We conceded a second goal with a good finish from McDonald but we probably allowed him far too much room. You can't deny the fact to lose at home, it is a bad defeat.

"I know the situation we are in.  Motherwell have won in the last two weeks, Dundee United have won four games, I can't be happy that we lost today.  To be honest we are gutted to be honest.  The reality is that we are probably at the half way point in the league more or less so we have plenty of time to retrieve the situation.  We need to add a couple of players in the window to make us a bit stronger and we have to try and get better ourselves.

"Burchill coming back was a bit of a risk playing him, but our options were limited with Stephen Crawford out suspended, Jim McIntyre out long term, Noel Whelan out longer, longer term. Mark came in and was very unlucky not to score a couple times, really unlucky.  We lost Daquin with a muscle injury. 

"I am not complaining, we have some good players here, the back four were very good again particularly in the first half.  Since Phil McGuire has come into the back four we have looked very very strong, it is just we conceded that goal.  It was a poor goal to concede; we got punished and you have got to take it on the chin."

On Jim Hamilton's sending off ten minutes from time:-

"It doesn't look great, I will have to see it again but it looks like a red card.  I will have to assess it."

Motherwell Manager Maurice Malpas was delighted with his back to back wins that gives his side a bit of "breathing space" in fourth bottom position:-

"We knew we had to pick points up. We weren't as fluid today as we have been in the past but there was definitely a bit of resilience there, a bit of stubbornness. Once we got in front it was a case of keeping that at all costs.

"I thought we defended well and they never had any great chances apart from wee Burchy getting through. Bottom line is we got three points and that is what matters; that is the most important thing today. It means it has been an exceptionally good Christmas.

"It has pushed us up the table and put a bit of pressure on other teams now."